Millie and Meg: Millie Got Hitched - Mickleton Hills Farm

Chipping Campden

October 24th 2015

Well, now all the madness is over, (wedding, moving, Christmas) I can finally sit down and share these lovely images with you.

We were absolutely delighted when Stef said she was available to photograph our autumnal Cotswold wedding and I think you'll agree she has produced some really beautiful pictures. Stef, is AMAZING! If you have just got engaged book her now!

WARNING - this is a picture overloaded blog post! If you do make it down to the bottom, firstly well done, you made it! You deserve a G&T! Secondly I have written a little (a lot) about the ideas and suppliers behind our big day so if you have any more patience then have a little browse, they deserve to be trumpeted.

We were always going to get married in October. It was the first thing James said he wanted after I had FINALLY, through tears and snot, said yes to the big question. We love the colours and cosiness of this time of year and Autumn in the Cotswolds is simply stunning. So that was it, decision made.

Chipping Campden is where we both grew up and so the next big and easy decision was to be married in St James Church, a special church to the both of us. Both of my sisters got married here too and so it made it even more apt to say I do in this beautiful pillar of Chipping Campden town. James and I both went to school in Chipping Campden and used to run cross-country in PE (I say we...I never ran) through Mickleton Hills farm. We were so pleased then to hear that the farm had converted their L shaped barn into a blank canvas special occasions venue. It really is yours to use as you wish for the weekend and also has the option of 4 cottages on site.

The feeling behind our day was to be as relaxed as possible using as many local suppliers as we could. We also wanted to incorporate the times we spend in France at my parents home into the day wherever we could. A French gypsy swing band, vin de noix aperitifs and speeches before the grub were some ideas we incorporated into the day.

As a thank you to our guests we collected little vintage aperitif glasses as favours to toast with and take home. These were really fun to collect from ebay, brogans and charity shops finding some with pheasants on, stags, ducks, ballerinas, boats, flowers. At he same time we collected old brass candle sticks to put on each table and wine boxes and wicker baskets for The Hopkins Deli. The Deli was our idea for the mezzanine where we had a Great Wedding Bake Off, cheese cake tower and breads as our evening food. I also bought James a Pork Pie wedding cake, made my Gill at The Cotswold Farmer, as his wedding present. It was delcicious, which I think our guests would agree as there was just enough left for James and I to try the next day! We also made a café where guests could help themselves to a selection of teas, Nespresso coffee and hot chocolate. Both of these were decorated with seasonal groceries from Drinkwaters, which is also the home of our lovely Florist, Lisa Drinkwater. We desperately wanted hellebores even though they were out of season but she managed to get hold of some just in time. She mixed these with heather to match our table décor and also created the wreaths of hops in the barn. We also hired 4 trees from Stuart at Batsford arboretum to decorate inside and outside the barn. We were also given a liquid amber as a wedding gift from Stuart and Heather which is James favourite tree. At that time of the year the leaves had dropped so James decorated the bottom of it with leaves and pinecones so we could have it there as part of the day. It looks so pretty.

We were really keen to have as much music throughout the day as possible. My brother and best friend played at the church during the signing of the registers and Swing From Paris welcomed guests with gypsy swing as they arrived at the barn. After a hilarious Burns night in 2015 we decided that a Caleidh was a must and so our family friend put one together for us. We called them "Geoff's Cotswold Caleidh" and they were amazing. They also, along with my brother play our first dance. Finally we finished the night off with a DJ set by Nick from Tempo Events. I used to work with Nick and trusted him implicitly with a job that can often go horribly wrong! James and I were both really impressed with Nicks way of ensuring you were happy with the set, sending you a questionnaire before the big day so he knew what to avoid and what to play! There was not one song that we didn't want to dance to! A highlight of this part of the day was everybody taking Michael Jackson's Thriller out onto the courtyard to dance under the festoon lights.

As you know if you are followers of our Cotswold blog we love our food. So this was also to be a big part of our day. Wild Oven provided our wedding fare with a mixture of venison and goats cheese pizzas, local pulled pork and they also served roasted rosemary nuts during Cocktail hour. Cocktail hour and the bar was provided by CamperVin. If you have been to any Cotswold food festival over the last couple of years you will have spotted Will and his converted red VW van. We opted for the bar he could bring indoors made out of old wine boxes. The staff were amazing and kept us fuelled with tequila slammers all night.

There is so much I could talk about! The day was just what we wanted...and contrary to speculation, if it rains on your wedding day it REALLY makes no difference (apart from my Dads suit getting wet as he escorted the bridesmaids to the car).

I really want to say a big thank you to all of our suppliers. I also want to thank all of our family and bridal party for everything you did. From organising hen and stag do's, writing hilarious speeches, helping set up the barn up, creating a guest book, buying favours and outfits, the list is endless! Finally a big thank you to all of our guests for their generous and thoughtful gifts, baking their socks off for the Bake Off, singing load in the church and dancing hard in the barn.

We love you all. M&J x

Stationary - Angie B Studios

Dress - Romantica Bridal, Kenilworth

Suit - Jack Wills

Bridesmaids - Biba and Ariella

Church - St James Chipping Campden

Venue - Mickleton Hills Farm

Caters - Wild Oven

Bar - Camper Vin ( with his indoor bar)

Festoon Lighting - Wyre Hire

Chairs and tables - BHK

Car - My Uncle David's